The Best 2015 Sewing Pattern

I wanted to show you some really wonderful pieces I made during the fourth quarter of 2015. I was on a wardrobe-refresh quest. I had some success, but an equal number of failures. Let’s keep things positive shall we? My favorite pattern of 2015, hands down was this little number designed by Marcy Tilton: Vogue 9112 .

This dress is not only easy to make, it’s also stylish, a perfect A-line cut for any shape, has fun pockets, and has a mock turtleneck that hides those 50+ year-old necklines. It’s an age-appropriate dress with a modern Japanese influenced design. This is my kind of go-to everyday dress.

It’s not a perfect pattern, and I had issues with the armhole coming out in different sizes. The unbalanced arm hole goes unnoticed once worn. Also the design quality lends to an uneven hem line, which could be easily rectified by trimming off the excess. I loved this dress so much I made it into different fabrics. The first in a Japanese polyester double cloth. (Yup, you heard that right…double cloth and polyester mixed together.) Top cloth is black, and the undercloth is cream, giving it a nice iridescent feel. There’s no warmth or cooling nature to this fabric, so it’s perfect for Spring and Fall. Because it is stiff by nature, the textile highlighted the dress’ design detail beautifully.

The second version came out even better. I had this cotton seersucker striped fabric in my stash for a couple of seasons. I knew I loved it, but needed the right pattern. Changing the stripe directions brought the dress’ interest level to new heights. It did not have the stiffness of the black dress, but it certainly had the feminine nautical look. I wore this dress almost daily during our August heatwave and received tons of compliments.

What else do I have in store? I have a large polka dot tropical wool piece I bought in Tokyo two years ago that I’m dying to cut into. It will be my Winter version, and all I need is one more and I’ll have a four-season collection.

This pattern would also be great with other double cloth textiles like Noro Iro, but its 35-inch width won’t make the cut. I recommend something at least 58-inches wide. I purchased both pieces of fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics. No, they did not give me this fabric in exchange for this blog (I wish).

Happy New Year Mamie! Great post and great dresses!!! I particularly love the striped one and will definitely copy your version in a black and white striped ponte! I cut the pattern a few months ago and haven’t gotten around to making it!

I like this. Wonder how it will drape on my Rubenesce type figure. It is Vogue? I never look at Vogue as I think the patterns are hard to follow. Maybe I’ll take a second look. This would be good with capri leggings and a batik. LeeAnna at not afraid of color

This will look beautiful on any body type. It is the most brilliant thing about the dress. The pattern is categorized as “easy” sew, which means it is beginning intermediate. It uses up a lot of fabric so maybe a muslin test piece might help?